‘‘No, he became a thoughtful, considerate man with nearly unflappable control. The scars are there, under it. It’s likely that his relationship with you has brought some of them closer to the surface.’’

‘‘He won’t let me help. Anna, he’s got it into his head that he can’t risk having children because he’s got her blood in him. Bad blood that he would pass on. He won’t marry because marriage means family to him.’’

‘‘He’s wrong, and he has the best example of how wrong in his own mirror. He not only has her blood but he spent the first twelve years—the most impressionable years—with her in an environment that could warp any young mind. Instead, he’s Ethan Quinn. Why should his children—children that come from the two of you—be any less than he is?’’

‘‘I wish I had thought to say that,’’ Grace murmured. ‘‘I was so shocked and sad and shaken.’’ She closed her eyes. ‘‘I don’t think it would have mattered if I had. He wasn’t going to listen. Not to me,’’ she said slowly. ‘‘He doesn’t think I’m strong enough to live with what he’s lived with.’’

‘‘He’s wrong.’’

‘‘Yes, he’s wrong. But his mind’s made up. He won’t want me now. He says the choice is mine, but I know him. If I say I can accept this and we go on as we are, it’ll eat at him until he pulls away.’’

‘‘Can you accept it?’’

‘‘I’ve asked myself that, thought about that for days now. I love him enough to want to, maybe to settle for it, at least for a while. But it would eat at me, too.’’ She shook her head. ‘‘No, I can’t accept it. I can’t accept only one part of him. And I won’t ask Aubrey to accept anything less than a father.’’

‘‘Good for you. Now, what are you going to do about it?’’

‘‘I don’t know that there’s anything I can do. Not when we both need different things.’’

Anna let out a huff of breath. ‘‘Grace, you’re the only one who can decide. But let me tell you, Cam and I didn’t just float to the altar on gossamer wings. We wanted different things—or thought we did. And to find out what we wanted together, we hurt each other, we got in each other’s faces and we dealt with it.’’

‘‘It’s hard to get in Ethan’s face about anything.’’

‘‘But it’s not impossible.’’

‘‘No, it’s not impossible, but . . . He wasn’t honest with me, Anna. Underneath it all, I can’t forget that. He let me spin my daydreams, all the time knowing he was going to cut the threads of them and let me fall. He’s sorry for it, I know, but still . . .’’

‘‘You’re angry.’’